Key highlights:
• $70m first phase launched for Kalemie’s new industrial port.
• Project led by Jintai Mining–Tembo Majengo consortium on a 40-hectare site.
• Port to handle 2 million tonnes of goods annually, boosting DRC–Tanzania trade.
Preparatory work has begun on the future industrial port of Kalemie. This initial phase is valued at $70 million and is set to bolster trade between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Tanzania.
The consortium Jintai Mining PTE Ltd and Tembo Majengo Company SARL, which signed its contract with Kinshasa in April, has started setting up a base camp on a 40-hectare site in Mutowa, about 30 kilometers from Kalemie. The camp will host staff and equipment for the works.
The first phase is slated for completion by end-2026. A second phase will expand capacity to 2 million tonnes of goods per year, strengthening the provincial economy and positioning Kalemie as a hub on the Central Corridor linking the DRC to Tanzania.
On August 15, Tanganyika Governor Christian Kitungwa, joined by a Transport Ministry delegation, inspected the site. He pledged close monitoring to ensure smooth progress. “All the necessary steps have been taken. Daily follow-up will continue until delivery,” he said.
The project forms part of Tanganyika’s multimodal development strategy and also includes oil terminals, shopping centers and related infrastructure, according to the governor’s office.
Kalemie’s port on Lake Tanganyika connects the DRC to Bujumbura in Burundi, Mpulungu in Zambia and Kigoma in Tanzania. According to official data, annual imports stood at about 60,000 tonnes in 2021, compared with 2,400 tonnes of coltan exports.
Ronsard Luabeya
